1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedaling unit for a racing bicycle and, more specifically, to a unit comprising a pedaling footplate that is mounted on the pedal crank of the crankset and a special shoe that works with this footplate to keep the foot of the racer solidly connected to the footplate, but so as to be able to be released easily and rapidly if need be.
2. The Prior Art
Except for toe clips of varied shapes, pedaling units are known whose footplate is equipped with lateral, stationary guides that are to be inserted into corresponding lateral channels or grooves of the shoe or that work with lateral flaps mounted on the shoe, while a latch can protrude above the footplate and, perpendicular to it, with the action of a hand lever, be inserted into an opposite opening placed in the sole of the shoe and longitudinally lock the shoe, which can be released by retraction of the latch and by sliding the edges of the sole toward the rear in the lateral guides of the footplate.
Such a device is described in French Pat. No. 82/08222, and its operation is very satisfactory, but it nevertheless exhibits a certain number of drawbacks, such as the fact that a hand lever must be actuated for the racer to be able to release his foot, or again the presence in the sole of the shoe of the small hole intended to receive the locking latch of the device, and in which foreign bodies can come to be lodged, such as pebbles, which lock the mechanism when it is desired to make it operate again.